Since the pre-independence era, African agriculture has focused on a narrow band of commodities that include food crops (cereals and pulses), oil crops (soybean, groundnut, sunflower) and industrial crops (coffee, cocoa, tea, oil palm and rubber tree). Vegetable crops which are...[more]

The plant genetic diversity is the biological basis of food security and supports the livelihoods of every person on Earth. The conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA) is essential to ensure agriculture production and meet...[more]

For six weeks in February and March plant breeders and others in South and Southeast Asia debated and shared experiences in an on-line forum about the results of surveys on plant breeding capacity in the region. The forum was sponsored by the Global Initiative for Plant Breeding...[more]

In order to establish a sustainable seed supply and thereby facilitate food security of member countries, the Plant Production and Protection Division (AGP) started an initiative termed “Seed Alliance Without Boundaries (SAWIB)”. The seed based initiative will cut across crop...[more]

A new Regional Seed Association for Central Asia and the Caucasus was recently formed under the auspices of a FAO technical cooperation project with the technical guidance of FAO-AGP. The new Association groups together private and public-sector seed producers of 10 countries...[more]

The use of certified seed of improved varieties can increase wheat yields by up to 30 percent. Certified seed also guarantees other added benefits such as cleaned seed that is free from weed and diseased grains and pure seed that is not contaminated with seeds of other crops or...[more]

This document, prepared in the framework of the West African Seed Regulation Harmonization, has led to the adoption of a harmonized seed regulatory framework by the ECOWAS Council of Ministers.[more]